


Critical Response Process

by Beefmaster



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Jared Dunn is a huge fuckin nerd, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 11:24:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13053042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beefmaster/pseuds/Beefmaster
Summary: Communication is an integral part of good sex.  Jared takes that to a new level.





	Critical Response Process

**Author's Note:**

> This is a stupid/brilliant idea that I had and I was so excited about it I didn't have time to ask anybody to Beta it. 
> 
> Rated Mature because they talk about sex quite a bit but there is no actual Doin' It.

Richard’s favorite thing about having sex with Jared was the moment right after sex.  Well, his second favorite thing.  His first favorite thing was, you know, sex, but this was a close second.  There was something so lovely, so serene about lying in bed with Jared’s head on his chest, drawing idle patterns on Jared’s back with his index finger.  Jared always looked beautiful, but there was something especially beautiful about him with the mid-afternoon light from his window dappling across his ear.

“Richard, do you want to start, or should I?” Jared asked, lifting his head from Richard’s chest.

Crap. “Um, you can start.” This was Richard’s least favorite thing about having sex with Jared.

 

***

_Five Months Ago_

Richard had expected there to be surprises the first time they had sex.  He expected to learn all sorts of new things about Jared: what he looked like naked, what he sounded like when he came, what he _liked_ (hot; incredible; Richard, apparently).  What he hadn’t expected was that _after_ their first time, Jared would ask, “Have you ever heard of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process?”

“What?”

“Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process,” Jared repeats, propping himself up on his elbows. “It’s a method of artistic feedback developed by choreographer Liz Lerman in the 90s.  I first learned about it in a playwriting class I took in college.”

“Um, ok.”

“I thought, maybe, we could do it?”

“Do- do feedback? About, sex?” Richard asks, incredulous.

“Yes!” Jared leans over the side of the bed to retrieve something from his nightstand drawer.  Richard watches the sheet slip down his back as he goes.   _Nice,_ he thinks.   _I just had sex with that man!_   Jared returns with a slim, stapled packet, which he hands to Richard. The top sheet reads:

**Jared Dunn’s Post-Coital Critical Response Process**

Adapted from Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process

“Not all of Lerman’s process lends itself to discussing sex,” Jared explains, “so I had to write my own version.”

“You- you just had this?  Do you do this with everyone you sleep with?” Richard is freaking out a little bit.  Just a little bit.

“Not all my sexual partners.  Just the ones I hope to sleep with again.” Jared says, blushing. _Oh really?_ This _is what embarrasses you?_ “I find that communication is the key to good sex.  Finding out what your partner does and doesn’t like.  We don’t have to do it if you don’t want,” Jared adds quickly.

Richard sighs.  The idea of giving feedback- of _receiving_ feedback on sex is probably the scariest thing he can think of.  But he can see this means something to Jared, and making Jared happy is the most wonderful thing he can think of.  He wants to be brave for Jared, even if bravery means having frank discussions about sex.

“Ok,” he says, finally. “Let’s give it a shot.”

 

***

_The Present_

“Um, you can start,” Richard says. “You should respond first.”

“Alright, well, I very much enjoyed all the attention you paid to my nipples,” Jared says matter-of-factly. “That was unexpected, but very much appreciated.  As always, I also enjoyed how vocal you were.”

(Statements of Meaning: Responders state what was meaningful, evocative, interesting, exciting, striking in the work they have just witnessed.)

“Ok.  Well, I was going to ask about the nipple stuff, so now I don’t have to, ha ha,” Richard laughs awkwardly. “But I guess I did wonder how you felt about me covering your mouth with my hand near the end?  I don’t know, I thought it might be sexy, but you didn’t seem all that into it.”

“No, not particularly,” Jared admits. “It made me feel out of control, which I don’t like.  But I do appreciate you trying new things.”

(Artist as Questioner: The artist asks questions about the work.  After each question, the responders answer.  Responders may express opinions if they are in direct response to the question asked.) 

“Ok, cool, that’s good feedback.” Richard reaches for Jared’s hand, threading their fingers together.

“I have a suggestion for next time,” Jared says. He looks away coyly. “I thought, perhaps we could try anilingus?”

(Opinion and Suggestion Time: Responders make suggestions or state opinions. This is not a time for accusations or anger, but rather a forum for productive suggestions of what might make the experience more pleasurable for all parties in the future.)

“Ok.” Richard says, surprising himself with how quickly he responds.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I think I might really like that.”   Richard pulls Jared’s hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles.

“Alright, your turn to respond,” Jared says, giggling. Richard learned in their very first feedback session how much Jared loves it when he plays with his hands.

“Ok, but there’s one thing I have to do first,” Richard says, letting go of Jared’s hand. He pulls him up into a lazy kiss.  Jared threads his fingers through Richard’s hair and tugs gently, a move he learned from their third feedback session. Richard gasps into his mouth, pulling him closer.   _Critical response might be the worst part of sex with Jared_ , Richard thinks, _but it’s still ten times better than anything I could be doing without him._

 

**Author's Note:**

> I said on my first fic that y'all could be as mean as you wanted on my second fic. I stand by that, but you have to use Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process: http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/files/downloads/Critical_Response_Process.pdf
> 
> Feel free to steal this concept for your own fics because I find this concept so funny. Although to be fair I have a friend and she and her girlfriend have a Google Form they fill out every time they have sex and they have one of the strongest relationships I've seen, so maybe we should all be using the Critical Response Process in our sex lives.


End file.
